Darrell Thompson recently surpassed 3 million consecutive, accident-free miles driving for Con-way Freight. He’s just the eighth driver in the company’s 33-year history to achieve this milestone.
Darrell Thompson was recently honored for 3 million safe miles on the road for Con-way Freight.Thompson, who was honored at a special ceremony earlier this week at the company’s Indianapolis service center, previously earned recognition for surpassing 1 and 2 million safe-driving miles. He also has been recognized for professionalism by the Indiana Motor Truck Association, which has designated him a Master Truck Driver.
“Staying safe on the road is a disciplined routine,” said Thompson. “As professional truck drivers, we have a lot of responsibility to operate safely, sharing the roads with the motoring public. It takes a daily personal commitment to be aware and alert to ensure everyone gets home safe each day.”
“Every time we come together to recognize one of these remarkably dedicated drivers, I’m reminded of the day-in-and-day-out professionalism, attention to detail and focus on safety it takes to achieve this rare milestone,” said Greg Lehmkuhl, president of Con-way Freight. “There is nothing more important than safety; it is our number one core value and the foundation of our culture. Professional drivers like Darrell are an inspiring example of what it means to make safety a priority each and every day. It’s a privilege to be here today to honor and recognize Darrell for a truly awesome safety milestone.”
To put this 3 million mile safe-driving accomplishment into perspective, that distance is the same as circling the Earth at the equator 120.5 times or completing the Indianapolis 500 exactly 6,000 times.
Thompson joined Con-way in 1985 and has been a driver for more than 31 years. He is a Con-way Inc. Quarterly Leadership Award recipient, and serves on his local service center’s Safety Review Board.
In the community, Darrell also is an avid volunteer armor bearer and cook with his church, which also has honored him with its Faithful Leadership Award. He resides in Indianapolis with his wife, Penny, who also works for Con-way Freight as a customer service representative.
“Our state’s Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division’s focus is safety, specifically, reducing and helping to prevent accidents involving heavy duty trucks,” said Major Michael Eslinger, Indiana State Highway Patrol. “Darrell’s achievement of 3 million miles without an accident is remarkable and his dedication to safety sets the bar for all our state’s drivers.”
“In Indiana, trucks move approximately 80 percent of the goods we use each day and Con-way Freight has been helping drive our economy safely for more than 30 years,” said Gary Langston, president of the Indiana Motor Truck Association. “Knowing that our industry has top tier professionals on the road like Darrell Thompson gives me confidence in our ability to keep moving America forward.”
Con-way Freight driver Darrell Thompson, left, is congratulated by fellow driver Gary Felton on driving 3 million accident free miles at the company's service center in Plainfield, Ind., Tuesday, May 19, 2015. Felton, a long time friend of Thompson, is also a 2 million mile accident free driver. (AJ Mast/AP Images for Con-way Freight)
Con-way Freight driver Darrell Thompson celebrates 3 million accident-free miles at the company's service center in Plainfield, Ind., Tuesday, May 19, 2015. (AJ Mast/AP Images for Con-way Freight)
Con-way Freight driver Darrell Thompson, left, is congratulated by Major Michael Eslinger of the Indiana State Police on driving 3 million accident free miles at the company's service center in Plainfield, Ind., Tuesday, May 19, 2015. (AJ Mast/AP Images for Con-way Freight)
Con-way Freight executives, Darrin Black, service center manager, left, Greg Lehmkuhl, President, center left, and Dean Powers, director of operations, right, present a check to driver Darrell Thompson for driving 3 million accident free miles at the company's service center in Plainfield, Ind., Tuesday, May 19, 2015. (AJ Mast/AP Images for Con-way Freight)
